as in wary
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Recent Examples of gun-shy
Underneath the puns and pumps was a dress-down of the rom-com that ultimately told the story of a woman who fell in love, came out worse, and became gun-shy.
—
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun-shy
Adjective
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Be wary of anyone who claims to be an insurance specialist that is not from your insurance company or was not sent by your insurance company.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
13 July 2025
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Also be wary of landlords who are out of the country.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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And that makes prospective visitors to the U.S., even as tourists, leery.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2025
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To an already leery viewer, Meghan lacking the openness and vulnerability that would allow a naysayer to connect with and change their opinion of her doesn’t help.—
Brande Victorian,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Teams tend to be especially cautious with injuries this time of year.—
Garrett Chorpenning,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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With such long-term uncertainty, customers are rightly cautious about parting with their money.—
Jo Causon,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The takeaway: Be careful about triggering too many credit inquiries.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
13 July 2025
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However, later in the day, be careful about jumping to conclusions when dealing with others.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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That included 83% of Democrats but just 33% of Republicans, who tend to be more skeptical of climate change.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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Lee also points out North Korea's poor infrastructure and vulnerability to geopolitical fluctuations as reasons to be skeptical about its tourism ambitions.—
Se Eun Gong,
NPR,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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However, many fans near the stage were distrustful and confused by the cameras and lights.—
Mark Gray,
People.com,
8 July 2025
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Deeply distrustful, the protest organizers feared that outside provocateurs would turn peaceful demonstrations ugly.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Techniques passed down through generations, refined through repetition and perfected under the watchful eye of a woman who demanded excellence.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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In it, rooms filled with monitors show simulated airplanes taxiing on runways and taking off – all under the watchful eyes of students learning to keep the flying public safe.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Goldman downgraded the Club stock to hold from buy, saying this is now a show-me story.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
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For various examples and further detailed indications about the nature and use of the show-me versus tell-me prompting strategy, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun-shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun-shy. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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